Date: 12/9/2005

On March 13, I’m speaking at the Librarians’ Association at UNC-Chapel Hill conference here. The conference theme is “Beyond the 5 year plan: The academic library in 2025″ I’ve drawn the library collections of the future straw (see preliminary description below). 2025 is definitely in the future! I’m open for suggestions as to what will be collected and how they’ll be held.

My initial take is that relationships between objects in a collection will be as important as the objects, whatever format, themselves. Algorithms and code for accessing datasets and related objects, which have never really been considered as part of a library collection, will be an important and necessary part of the future library. Without them, the datasets and objects that libraries will be holding for medicine and science soon and for other disciplines in time cannot be understood or used.

Library Collections of the Future
A look at both the kinds of materials that libraries will collect and the formats in which they’ll be held. We can safely assume that books and journals will still be around, but what will they contain? Will they include text alone, or regularly feature audio and visual elements? Will libraries continue to own most of the materials they collect, or will they increasingly have to rely on subscriptions and other continuing costs? How will libraries provide access to traditional books and archival materials?

First important news! The Daily Grind is accessible again. We’ve had to weave through Student Stores for coffee and tea for what seems like forever, but now the fence that blocked us from the beloved Grind is down and you can walk right into the Grind! But all is not completely clear, according to UNC ConstructionWatch work on the Daniels aka Student Stores Building will continue through December 2006.

Update: Bill writes again to say that if there is no bus stop within .25 miles of you, Chapel Hill Transit will send a shuttle to you. I don’t mind a little walking but I might try a shuttle to start a trip to Raleigh.